IPG Meeting Summary & Photos from Session 4, 7/06/2019

Drawer Frame Component Layout - The drawer runners make one integrated piece for the drawer frame. The rear corner legs are now integrated into the frame. The table frame is flipped upside down onto the MDF template to layout the drawer frame components to the frame. The acute angles where both left and right drawer runners meet the back apron are 33 degrees. The acute angle of the outermost runners where they meet the curved front apron is ~10 degrees. The acute angle of the innermost runners where they meet the curved front apron is ~13 degrees.

Cutting the slots for the drawer spline in the inside apron faces. A laminate trimming router with a 1/8" straight bit is used to cut to cut the slots. To keep the spline joinery invisible, the slots do not go all the way to the bottom (exposed) edge of the apron. Inside drawer frames have an additional 1/16" thickness up from the runner so that the side of the drawer only touches that extra thickness to the side wall. Owain uses the jointer rabbit function to make these components.

The table top will be held down to the apron with shop-made buttons. The depth of the button slots is 7/8". True-up of the end of the curved apron where it joins with each back leg is done with a bench plane.

Leg blanks are 1 3/4" x 1 3/4". A leg template is made from 1/8" baltic birch (or MDF). The leg curve is traced onto the template using a drafting flexible spline curve. One side is clamped down and the shape of the curve is manipulated down to the foot with the apex of the the curve being closer to the top, making somewhat of a bow-shape. Leg shaping is essentially a square at the top, transitioning to a round shape at the bottom. After bandsaw curves and tapers are cut and cleaned up with a hand plane, reference center lines are traced down the full length of the legs on all four sides. Then quarter lines are penciled onto each leg for additional shaping. Owain uses a spokeshave to make very light shavings during the final shaping of each leg. For this shaping, he locks the leg into a long bar clamp and locks the bar clamp into his bench vice. A circle is traced onto the bottom of each leg foot. Fairing a curve on each surface, careful to leave the square flat surfaces for the joinery. Also, Owain cautions us to be careful around the ankle approach to the foot. He uses two spokeshaves for this shaping. One spokeshave is adjusted for shallow cuts, the other for more aggressive cuts. A Nicholson #49 pattern makers rasp is used to shape around the deep bandsaw cuts into the leg near the top and around the foot curve-out. Tip 1: Try not to take too much of a shaving while shaping. Creep up to the layout lines.

Final cleanup is done with a card scraper, removing any remaining tool marks, and 100 grit sandpaper. At this point the legs are set aside, knowing they are getting close to final shape. Tip 2: To sharpen a small spokeshave blade on a grinder, make a small block of wood to fit the blade into.